


Everything that matters

by silverynight



Category: Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: Idiots in Love, M/M, Protective Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, jaskier likes geralt and then he decides he doesn't want to like him anymore, yen is jaskier's sister
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-02
Updated: 2020-09-01
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:09:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 12,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23447554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silverynight/pseuds/silverynight
Summary: Jaskier is excited to finally meet the witcher he writes songs about, until he realizes Geralt is actually a dick.How dare he compare Jaskier's singing to a pie with no filling!
Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion, Tissaia de Vries/Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg
Comments: 39
Kudos: 349





	1. Chapter 1

“Queen Calanthe has a personal guard,” Jaskier’s mother says, a little bit excited. The bard is still focused on tuning his beloved lute.

“Calanthe doesn’t need a personal guard,” he mumbles absentmindedly.

But his mother must be getting desperate and there’s something about that information that interests her because she quickly calls Jaskier’s sister, Yennefer.

She then tells Yennefer the same information which prompts the young woman to roll her eyes at her.

“Calanthe doesn’t need–”

“That’s what I just said,” the bard cuts her off, even though he knows Yen hates it.

“Well… I think it’s mostly to protect her granddaughter,” the woman says, irritated. Clearly, that’s not the reaction she was expecting from them.

“That makes more sense,” Jaskier mumbles, grinning from ear to ear at the instrument before caressing it. Yennefer looks like she wants to puke.

“The point is… He’s rich now,” their mother says, exhaling relieved and both Jaskier and his sister try not to grimace at her.

Rich people are always their favorite topic, especially when said people are single.

“So… Jaskier, perhaps you should talk to him during the banquet tonight?”

“I’m a free spirit, mother.”

“Which means he wants to fuck, but doesn’t want to be attached to anyone,” Yennefer comments, prompting Jaskier to stick his tongue out at her.

Their mother looks scandalized for a moment, but doesn’t seem too interested in scolding them for that.

“Yen, darling… Maybe you could…”

“I just want to be a sorceress,” she says and the woman looks back at them both with the most dramatic expression of disappointment she’s ever made.

Although she doesn’t look as devastated as she should, which means she still has something more to say.

“I thought you’d be interested in talking to him, my dear boy, because he’s a witcher… Actually, I think he’s the witcher you’re always singing about.”

The lute almost falls off his hands, Jaskier’s eyes are wide open and he’s basically gaping at her mother. After a couple of seconds, he starts beaming at her.

“Geralt of Rivia?” He squeaks, like one of those court ladies he ends up sleeping with.

“That’s the one,” his mother nods, smirking. She’s delighted with his excitement which is funny because she always wanted him to stop being obsessed with the witcher, because she, as many others, didn’t trust people like him. “So… You’ll be good to him, my dear son? Perhaps he’s lonely, I heard some are afraid of him.”

Of course Jaskier wants to talk to him; he has spent a couple of years gathering as much information as possible about his adventures and writing songs about them, however he’s never met the man. He doesn’t even know how he looks like if he’s being honest.

Perhaps he can become friends with him and ask him about his adventures himself.

Although he’s not sure his mother would be entirely happy about it, Jaskier is not planning to bed the witcher, much less to get married to him.

Maybe he’s not even his type.

***

Turns out Geralt is definitely his type. Although, Jaskier is even more excited to meet his hero more than anything. He’s not planning to flirt with him, but cannot say it won’t happen.

“If that doesn’t work,” his mother whispers in his ear before Jaskier starts with his performance. “You could as well consider Lord Ferguson’s proposal.”

Jaskier shivers when he notices him among the crowd, with a glass full of wine and licking his lips as soon as he notices the bard looking at him.

It’s absolutely disgusting.

“I will never marry someone like him. I think I’ll never marry,” he mumbles to her mother’s disappointment.

“Go talk to the witcher after you finish with your songs,” she pushes him, looking a little worried after noticing Geralt’s grumpy expression.

Jaskier has noticed as well and doesn’t bother him in the slightest; a banquet must be incredibly boring for someone who kills all kinds of monsters for a living.

“I don’t know why you worry so much about coin. Yennefer makes some with her potions and I do the same as a bard, I–”

“It’s not enough,” her mother says and Jaskier resists the temptation of pinching the bridge of his nose.

He looks over her shoulder and notices Yennefer already trying to talk with Tissaia; even if his sister denies it, he knows she likes that other sorceress a little bit too much.

***

Princess Cirilla is having a great time, which means the Queen is very much pleased as well. She dances for a while with her grandchild before sitting at the main table again and Geralt has confined himself to a corner.

He has the same frown upon his face and he certainly looks like he doesn’t want to talk to anyone, but Jaskier approaches anyway; he notices Yennefer rolling her eyes at him.

“Hi! I bet you don’t know me but I’m the bard who’s been writing songs about you!” He smiles at him.

“Hmm,” it’s the response. Two golden eyes look back at him.

Jaskier starts babbling about Geralt’s own adventures and the witcher doesn’t say much, but the bard stays at his side anyway.

“So… How’s my singing?”

“It’s like ordering a pie and finding it has no filling.”

It almost breaks Jaskier’s heart and it certainly hurts his pride. He looks down at the lute in his hand and pulls it closer to his chest. For the first time in a while he narrows his eyes back at someone and the gesture manages to surprise the witcher himself.

“You… need a nap,” he says after noticing the shadows under the man’s eyes and also because he’s terrible at insulting people when his pride has been hurt. He wishes Yen was right there next to them because she’d come up with something clever; she’s great at insulting people.

“A nap?” Geralt looks like he’s fighting to hold back a grin, but honestly Jaskier doesn’t care anymore.

Turns out his hero is an idiot; perhaps under different circumstances he’d be more willing to forget, but not now. He’s not even sure why he’s so hurt, perhaps because he was hoping to become friends with the witcher after all.

Or maybe he was hoping for something more.

He sighs and finally walks away. It’s obvious that’s what Geralt wants anyway.

“So?” His mother asks after a while.

Jaskier shakes his head.

“Not my type,” he lies, but decides that he definitely doesn’t want to be close to someone who doesn’t appreciate him.


	2. Chapter 2

Jaskier is not going to let that ruin his night. He decides to sing a few songs (princess Cirilla seems to like them) and try to get out of his head that Geralt called his singing a “pie without filling”.

It’s alright, it doesn’t matter. He had spent a couple of years admiring someone that wasn’t that good after all. He can get over it soon.

Although he also can take revenge by singing his popular “Toss s coin…” since Geralt seems to hate his voice. Perhaps the songs he writes are not actually perfect, but at least he made an effort to gather information enough to write them.

He was hoping to write a few more by asking the witcher himself about his adventures, but that’s out the of question now.

Maybe he should try to find his own adventures or get inspired by walking around the kingdom more often. The problem is that Jaskier is not really good at protecting himself and he’s sure it’d be almost impossible to ask Yennefer to keep him company.

Right now she’s fluttering her eyelashes at Tissaia and pretending she doesn’t care about her at the same time. Yen has learned a lot of magic on her own, but knows she needs a mentor. However, she refuses to admit it; she’s even more reluctant to do so in front of Tissaia.

Jaskier has always thought it’s their own way of flirting.

He sighs, plays one more melody with the lute and walks around the place to see if he can find a spot to sit. Actually, sometimes he kind of looks for a woman or a man in need of company and spends the night with them, but now he’s not in the mood at all.

Geralt would have no problem finding someone if he wasn’t always glaring at everyone that even looks in his direction or if he decided to finally be a little bit more polite with people. Although, it’s very clear he doesn’t want anyone near him.

Well… Calanthe talks to him, but she’s the Queen, she doesn’t get easily intimidated… Actually, judging by her expression she seems to find Geralt’s grumpy attitude quite amusing.

“You beautiful boy, would you keep me company tonight?”

Jaskier almost jumps at the sound of that voice and curses himself for being so distracted he didn’t notice Lord Ferguson approaching. In fact, he hadn’t even seen him in the banquet.

The bard thinks it’s better to make his disgust quite obvious and takes a step back, while grimacing at the man.

“Not today, not ever… Now, if you excu–”

“I don’t have a problem with making you my lovely wife first, if that’s what you want,” the man insists, getting closer; Jaskier ends up with his back against one of the columns and looks around to find his sister, but she’s at the other side of the room and pretty much distracted at the moment.

“Well… That’s the problem right there, you see, I don’t want to be your wife or anyone’s wife for that matter,” he smiles, although it’s an expression that clearly says ‘fuck off’… There’s nothing sincere about it.

A hand grabs him by the waist, which makes it clear that Ferguson is even more of an idiot than he initially thought.

“Come with me… I know you’ll like it–”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. If I were you I’d move my hand away.”

The first thing that surprises the bard it’s not the fact that Geralt is right there next to them and glaring at Ferguson like he wants to kill him, no… It’s that Geralt mentioned Jaskier’s name and he doesn’t remember telling his name to the witcher.

Before turning around, Ferguson considers protesting but as soon as he finds himself facing a pair of furious, yellowish eyes, he seems to reconsider it.

“I didn’t know you were interes–”

“I’m not,” Geralt cuts him off immediately, trying not to look at Jaskier. “I don’t even like him. I’m just saying you could choose someone else… He’s just a bard.”

“I’ll… I’ll do that,” Ferguson nods, clearly afraid because even though the witcher’s tone is not as terrifying as before, his eyes are still full of anger.

Just a bard, huh? Alright, Jaskier knows the witcher is helping him to get rid of the man, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to ignore that.

“You seem to get yourself in trouble quite often,” Geralt comments when they’re finally alone and for the first time Jaskier decides not to say anything and walk away.

The witcher follows him though.

“You know… A 'thank you’ will be enough,” Geralt mumbles and Jaskier stops only to turn around and narrow his eyes at him.

“I had it under control,” he lies, trying not to blush. There’s something about the witcher that always makes him feel flustered.

Geralt snorts and it’s so weird to see him smiling instead of frowning Jaskier forgets his irritation for a moment.

“Of course you did…”

“I don’t need your help,” he says. Geralt doesn’t like him, right? Then what is he doing there?

“Perhaps you did want to spend the night with him, huh?” The witcher growls, looking furious again. “Go find him, it’s not too late.”

“Just leave me alone.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t be helping you next time…”

“Perfect!” Jaskier snaps; he’s not even sure why he’s acting like that… There’s something so irritating about Geralt.

At least he won’t have to talk to him anymore.

***

“I saw you last night,” Yennefer smirks at him during breakfast. “The witcher and you looked like you were getting along.”

Jaskier snorts, obviously she’s joking… She has to be. Last night was an absolute disaster, at least for him.

“Yeah, right.”

“I’m serious,” she insists and Jaskier stares back with an incredulous look on his face.

“He called my singing a 'pie with no filling’,” he says through gritted teeth. That one still hurts, especially because most of his songs are about the man himself.

Yennefer chuckles, but at least has the decency to stop when she sees the murderous look on Jaskier’s face.

“I must admit that doesn’t sound like a compliment,” she concedes. “And that I lament not coming up with something like that myself.”

Jaskier rolls his eyes and decides that it’s better to focus on his bread rather than trying to argue with his sister.

“But he was following you around,” Yen comments after a while. “That means something.”

“It means he was bored and wanted to bother me to entertain himself,” Jaskier huffs. He knows he’s being overdramatic, but part of him hates the fact that he dedicated a couple of years writing songs about a witcher who is actually a dick. “Please, just forget about it.”

For a moment the bard’s glad to see their mother walking inside the kitchen, but the moment vanishes quickly.

“I heard you turned down Lord Ferguson’s proposal,” she says, looking absolutely disappointed. “I cannot believe it. Jaskier, honestly…”

Yennefer flees from the room and Jaskier is left alone with their mother.

The perfect way to start his day.

***

Jaskier is sure his idea is a good one. In order to stop singing about the witcher, he needs to find inspiration elsewhere. The problem is that he doesn’t usually get out of the village often; he does it only when Yennefer is around because she could protect him (although he’d never admit that in front of her).

When he finally gets a little bit farther from the village as usual, he feels weird. It’s obvious he’s not really good at fighting and he doesn’t know anything about magic. In fact, the only thing that could be considered a weapon is his lute and he’s not willing to ruin it by using it like one.

However, it’s early in the morning and the forest seems to be quiet that day. He smiles and sits under a tree close to the river, remembering his days as a child when the only thing he could think of was to have his own adventures to sing about.

But those days are long gone.

Jaskier sighs and starts tuning his lute, thinking of the nature; some people like songs about rain and forests and magic… Perhaps he can sing about that instead of a witcher killing monsters.

A noise manages to distract him and when he looks up he sees a beautiful horse getting closer to drink from the river.

The animal doesn’t seem to mind his presence, in fact it seems to trust him; Jaskier notices the saddle then and laments for a moment that the horse has already an owner.

He gives in and strokes the mare’s muzzle.

“It looks like Roach likes you,” the witcher’s voice startles the bard and he’s back on his feet without noticing what he’s doing. “I have no idea why.”

Jaskier rolls his eyes at him. Why must Geralt be incredibly attractive and grumpy at the same time?

“What are you doing here anyway?” Geralt asks, not looking particularly pleased. “It’s dangerous.”

“I’ve been here dozens of times before,” Jaskier lies… again.

“Hmm…” The witcher does the kind of expression that people do when they’re listening to horseshit. He takes water from the river and gets closer to the bard. Someone else would be terrified, but not Jaskier. He feels safe around the witcher. “We’re going back now.”

“I hope you and Roach have a nice–Hey! What do you think you’re doing?” Before he can do anything, Jaskier is being lifted like he weighs nothing and is quickly sat on the mare.

He wants to keep protesting, but it’s so difficult because he’s very much distracted by the fact that Geralt can carry him like that without breaking a sweat.

And then he gets flustered when Geralt sits behind him.

“Let’s go, Roach.”

Jaskier should say something… Anything, but he’s still trying not to move too much.

“I can take care of myself,” he finally says, trying to ignore the fact that Geralt knows exactly where he lives for some reason because he has just stopped right in front of his house.

“No, you can’t, brother,” Yennefer says, opening the door because of course she’s there when Jaskier doesn’t need her. “Thanks for bringing him home, witcher.”

“Hmm,” Geralt nods, ignoring the bard’s protests because of course he can get down on his own. But no, the witcher takes him by the waist and puts him on the floor. “You’re welcome, Jaskier.”

The bard sighs… He doesn’t know if he should thank him for what happened yesterday, although he decides not to when he sees the glimmer of amusement in his yellowish eyes.

“This doesn’t mean anything,” he whispers to his sister as he walks by her and hears the mare trotting away.


	3. Chapter 3

Jaskier's mother rushes into his room the next morning with an expression that worries the bard for a moment.

She looks absolutely delighted and everyone in that family know that's not always a good sign.

"What's going on?"

"You've been invited to the castle," she informs him excitedly, prompting Jaskier to jump from the bed and look suspiciously at the parchment in her hands.

"Is there going to be another banquet?" It's not that surprising honestly... Well, normally Queen Calanthe waits at least two weeks, but it's not entirely–

"Not at all, little brother," Yennefer walks in with a knowing smirk on her face.

That's definitely not a good sign.

"What?" He takes the parchment his mother hands him and starts reading quickly. "It's... No, why would she–"

"It seems princess Cirilla loves your songs and wants you to sing for her personally," their mother blurts out happily. "I think it's a great opportunity for you to find someone to marry; you'll be in the castle every single day after all..."

"Oh no," Jaskier mumbles... How is he supposed to focus on something that's not Geralt of Rivia if he's constantly with the girl he's supposed to take care of?

"Why so disappointed?" Yennefer chuckles. "That means you'll get to see your boyfriend everyday, isn't that great?"

"What boyfriend?" Mother mumbles with a smile on her face at the same time Jaskier says through gritted teeth "He's not my boyfriend!"

And then he assures their mother that Yennefer is just joking before she walks out of his room and only then he glares at his sister.

"He brought you home the other day," Yennefer points out, amused.

"He did it because he thinks I can't take care of myself," Jaskier blurts out, realizing his mistake too late. When he looks at Yennefer's expression, he sighs. "Alright, that's... somehow correct. Most of the time I can't, but I can assure you, the woods were perfectly peaceful that day."

The sorceress rolls her eyes at him.

"I'm glad he brought you home," she admits. "I don't like to worry about you."

"Fine!" He finally says, defeated. "He did something good! And what about it? He doesn't like me and he made that clear the day of the banquet."

"I don't think–"

"I need to prepare before I go to the castle," he cuts her off and for the first time Yennefer doesn't protest.

She actually leaves him alone.

***

A guard guides Jaskier to princess Cirilla's room; it looks like the Queen is taking care of another conflict right outside the kingdom's borders and won't be there until the next day.

The young girl doesn't look worried though (must be used to her grandmother's enthusiasm when it comes to fighting) she looks a little bit bored.

However, she smiles when she notices the bard and Jaskier feels a little bit better despite of seeing Geralt in the corner, looking through the window and pretending he doesn't exist.

_Right_. Jaskier doesn't care at all about that, instead he approaches the girl and sits on a chair, grabbing his lute and moving it closer to him.

"I'm glad you came," she says. "I like your music and your voice very much!"

The bard would love to say out loud that the princess herself doesn't find his singing like a "pie without a filling" but that'd be like admitting he cares about what Geralt thinks and he certainly doesn't.

"Thank you," he grins, trying not to look in the witcher's direction.

"Could you please sing for me _Toss a coin_...?"

Of course. Everyone likes that one. He's not sure if Geralt does, but he's almost sure he doesn't. He sighs, pretending he doesn't want to chuckle at the way the witcher turns around to glance at him.

He ends the song with more energy than he would've expected; he obviously likes the song, he wrote it after all, but he still hopes he can come up with something that doesn't have to do with the witcher.

Fortunately, Cirilla doesn't ask for another song about Geralt...

"You choose," she encourages him. "Sing something you like."

Jaskier hasn't had the time to write something new, however... There was a song in his mind when he was younger. Something he usually told himself, it was almost like a call...

"Alright," he agrees, rising from the chair. The song is difficult, but he knows he can do it. Of course, it's not like he wants to impress anyone. No, that's not exactly the reason why he picked that particular song.

He has to begin almost in a whisper.

_I can hear you, but I won't_.

The princess starts giggling when Jaskier gets dangerously close to Geralt and goes " _Some look for trouble_ ," and then he points at himself before adding " _while others don't_."

"You?" Geralt can't help but snort and Jaskier knows they are supposed to be ignoring each other (he's still not sure why though because Geralt acted a little bit different the other day) but he's glad to finally get a reaction from him. Although he keeps singing, like the witcher is not talking at all. In fact, it helps him come up with new ideas for his unfinished song. "You're a magnet for trouble, Jask–"

He cuts him off with something close to _ignoring his whispers_ (he needs to write down the whole song as soon as he finishes it) before princess Cirilla starts shushing the witcher.

_You're not a voice, you're just a ringing in my ear_...

"Hmm," Geralt narrows his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest.

" _And if I heard you_ ," Jaskier winks as he watches Cirilla chuckle and the witcher huff. " _Which I don't_..."

He's never felt so inspired before... Well, except when he used to gather information about Geralt.

But this is not about him anymore.

_I'm afraid of what I'm risking if I follow you_

_Into the unknown_...

Princess Cirilla is delighted after listening to him and she starts praising him and asking him to teach her how to play the lute while Geralt is staring at him like he can't quite recognize him.

Jaskier has to hold himself back from sticking his tongue out at him.

***

The next few days are not bad at all, even though Geralt still keeps hiding in the corner, looking grumpy as always.

Cirilla is making a little bit of progress with the lute, but she seems to like it more when she gives Jaskier ideas for new songs.

He genuinely likes the princess and feels sorry because she's not allowed to do much outside the castle. He wonders if he could convince Geralt to take her to see the village every now and then.

Although he's not supposed to talk to him.

"Well... I'll be going then. It's late," Jaskier mumbles, watching as Mousesack walks in the room; he usually does when the Queen is back in the castle and wants to see her granddaughter.

"I'll walk you home," Geralt says then, startling the bard a little. He didn't see him moving at all and almost gasps when he hears his voice right behind himself.

"That's not–That won't be..." It's night already and Jaskier usually goes back home before the sun disappears from the sky completely, but he's not afraid to walk alone. The village is usually a very peaceful place.

"It's a great idea," the princess says, looking a little bit amused by the situation. She glances at the witcher for a moment. "I'll be with Mousesack and my grandma."

Since the princess seems determined to make it happen, Jaskier decides not to protest anymore.

After a while of walking side by side in complete silence (which has been really difficult for the bard because he likes to talk) Geralt clears his throat.

"She looks happier now that you come to visit her," he comments and Jaskier is not sure what to make of it. The witcher acts like he doesn't exist most of the time and then he suddenly... does that.

"I'm glad... She's a good girl."

"You're... good too."

They keep walking because for the first time in a while Jaskier has no idea what to say.

Does that mean Geralt actually likes him? But even if he does, Jaskier is not supposed to care.

"Geralt–"

"I'll see you tomorrow," the witcher cuts him off, putting a hand on the bard's shoulder before walking away.

Jaskier is still trying to process what's going on when Yennefer opens the door and chuckles.

"You should've invited your suitor inside to have dinner with us," she says, making the bard roll his eyes at her. "I like him. He'll take care of you."

Jaskier pinches the bridge of his nose before walking inside; it's useless to try to argue with her.


	4. Chapter 4

A scream makes Jaskier jump from his bed and almost drop the lute in his hands; it's early in the evening, which means Jaskier was just trying to come up with a new song for the princess to play the next day.

He's already in his house, it took a while for him to get to the village without Geralt's help, but sometimes he needs a few minutes to himself; it's raining outside so the bard has no intention of going out any time soon unless is strictly necessary.

He looks at the window and wonders if the scream was because of a misunderstanding or it's something serious; although it'd be ridiculous for Jaskier to go and find out considering that the only thing he has with him is a lute and he's definitely not going to use it as a weapon.

There's another scream, but this time is a child and it definitely sounds like something is going on. He runs towards the door and opens it a little bit only to see with horror that there's a kikimora in the village.

It's looking at a little girl who's crying and absolutely petrified. It could eat her completely in the blink of an eye and it probably will if someone doesn't do anything about it.

Jaskier is not a hero and he's definitely not capable of facing a spider-like monster. He could be killed in seconds if he doesn't die of fear in the first place.

He's not brave and he knows his chances of surviving against a creature like that are minus zero, but the child outside likes his music and she always brings and apple for him every single morning.

"Yen!" He yells, but he steps outside instead of waiting for her.

The kikimora is getting closer to the girl, but the kid is now hiding behind her house and Jaskier decides not to think about the body on the floor (or the remainings of it) as he takes a rock and throws it at the creature.

A good idea since the monster is now looking in his direction and at the same time a stupid one considering the kikimora is in fact focusing completely on him.

He moves farther away from the door and notices how the mother of the child gets out the house, takes her and rushes inside.

The kikimora hasn't decided to jump at him yet, but it growls and it's enough for Jaskier to think that he's probably going to die. And since he can't let himself crumble, the only thing that comes to his mind is if one of the people looking through their windows will sing his story.

Running would be useless and trying to hide doesn't sound at all like a better idea, but he's going to do what he can to survive.

Another growl escapes from the monster's mouth, but this time the ground underneath him trembles and Jaskier has to really consider the possibility of him dying right then and there.

Tears fall from their eyes, although it's difficult to know with certainty considering there's rain constantly falling all over his face. He's soaking wet, but that's the last thing he should care about.

He's about to move out of the way when Yennefer jumps in front of him, turns her back on him and starts mumbling something in an ancient language. Her left hand is close to her chest with two of her fingers pointing up as she moves the other hand in circles.

For a moment Jaskier thinks the thing is going to bite their heads off, but the kikimora gets swallowed by a magic portal that appears right before it can jump at them.

The bard breathes again when Yennefer closes it completely.

"Where did you send it?" He manages to ask.

"To a place where it'll die of thirst."

Some of the people start opening the windows and doors to make sure the monster is completely gone and a handful of them nod in the sorceress direction to thank her.

Although Yennefer doesn't pay too much attention to them because she turns around and her purple eyes pin Jaskier with a glare.

"What did you think you were doing?" She snarls and for a moment Jaskier thinks he's more afraid of her than the kikimora. "You could've died!"

"I must admit that wasn't my–"

He stops talking when he feels her arms around him, although the hug only lasts a couple of seconds before she narrows her eyes at him again and orders him to go back inside.

"What do you think it was doing here?" Jaskier asks, wondering if their mother is still asleep. She probably is, because she usually drinks before going to bed.

Yennefer shakes her head, looking at the window like she can find the answers on the glass.

"I don't know. But those creatures don't get out of the forest; they have plenty of food there. I don't–I have to find out how it got here."

It looks like Yennefer is not going to say anything else and Jaskier feels relieved, because he's too tired to keep talking about it. Perhaps he shouldn't have asked, at least not that day.

He goes back to his room wondering if he'll be able to sleep that night.

***

Jaskier has a nightmare; someone is hitting the door so hard he knows it's going to fall apart, but no one tries to stop it and he's terrified of what he's going to find at the other side.

But there's no need to find out; the door is completely destroyed in seconds and the kikimora gets inside–

He wakes up breathing heavily, he's dizzy and scared but he realizes quickly that everything was just a bad dream... And then he hears Yennefer's voice coming from the living room; she's pissed.

She's arguing with someone. Jaskier's curiosity is too strong to be stopped so before he realizes what's he's doing he's in the living room, narrowing his eyes in confusion because Geralt is in his house.

But it's the middle of the night...

Perhaps it's Jaskier imagination (or maybe he's still dreaming, although that's unlikely, considering how cold his feet feel) but he thinks Geralt looks almost relieved when he glances at him.

Yennefer has her arms crossed over her chest.

"There he is... Now you can see I wasn't lying when I told you he was fine," she huffs. "I know how to take care of my brother."

"Hmm," the witcher nods, although he keeps staring at the bard.

The sorceress rolls her eyes before going back to her own room. She puts a hand on Jaskier's shoulder when she walks right next to him.

"Good luck," she chuckles, prompting the bard to frown at her.

He's still frowning when Yen disappears inside her bedroom.

"Let's go."

Jaskier moves his head so fast in the witcher's direction it hurts his neck and he has to suppress a moan of pain.

"It's the middle of the night!"

Geralt presses his lips together and looks at him like he's dealing with a very stubborn child. Jaskier tries not to get irritated at that.

"We're going back to the castle. You're going to live there from now on."

"What? Why?" It's too late for Jaskier to think properly; everything the witcher says doesn't make any sense. "Did the queen order it?"

"No. But I'll talk to her about it... I don't think she'll object to this..."

"Why do I have to live there? I have a home."

Jaskier can see it clearly: Geralt is getting desperate. He takes a step closer and grabs the bard's arm, although he makes sure he doesn't hurt Jaskier.

"I heard about what happened," he mumbles through gritted teeth. "Trying to distract a kikimora was very stupid of you."

The bard doesn't have the time to think how he found out about that; he's too outraged and hurt to think of anything else.

He shoves Geralt's hand away.

"I'm not going anywhere with you."

"You can't stay here," the witcher growls.

"I can and I will."

For a second, Geralt's expression softens and he reaches out to him, but he quickly lets his hand fall. He glares at the bard instead.

"Fine. Do whatever you please, bard. I don't care."

"Fine!"

Jaskier watches him go and he tells himself he doesn't care either. It doesn't matter...

He needs to go back to sleep.

***

"There's a surprise for you outside," Yennefer chuckles, when Jaskier sits at the table for breakfast.

"What do you mean?"

"You have to see it for yourself," she's too pleased for it to be something good.

Jaskier rises from his chair, opens the door and finds two guards wearing armor just outside his house.

"What are you doing here?"

"Geralt's order," says the one at the right side of the front door.

Jaskier holds back a frustrated scream and swears he's going to have a few words with that damned witcher.


	5. Chapter 5

"You really are going to follow me everywhere, huh?" Jaskier sighs, walking past the girl with the apples. Even after what happened the other day, the people seem to be determined to keep working that morning.

The sky is clear that day, which the bard honestly hopes it means no one is going to get hurt in the next couple of hours.

He's had enough of monsters.

He walks fast and the guards do the same, making their armor sound every time they take a step behind Jaskier. The bard tries not to roll his eyes; he seriously needs to see Geralt.

"We have orders," one of them surprises Jaskier after a while, because he thought no one was going to talk to him.

After another sigh, Jaskier keeps looking right ahead and notices the gates and the guards right outside of it.

He doesn't even have to say what he's doing there anymore; most of the people in the castle know him.

What shocks him is the way princess Cirilla runs towards him as soon as he walks inside the music room and throws herself in his arms.

"I was worried about you! I'm glad you're okay!" The girl mumbles and the bard does his best to hold back a few tears.

He likes the princess and cares about her sincerely... It's just that it never occurred to him she genuinely cared for him as well.

It's nice to have a friend.

When she moves away, Jaskier is confused to see a couple of guards inside and Mousesack too, but no witcher.

"Where's Geralt?" He asks and for a moment it looks like there's a spark of amusement in Cirilla's eyes and for some reason Jaskier regrets asking in the first place.

"He went to the woods to find out how the kikimora got in the village," Mousesack informs, hands behind his back as he walks around the room. "As you may know, that's not the way those creatures behave."

"I know," he mumbles, omitting the fact he got the information from his sister Yennefer.

He sits on a chair and grabs the lute close to his chest, telling himself that he's definitely not worried at all about the witcher, he's just upset he didn't get to talk to him about what happened the other night.

"It seems you got your own guards now," Mousesack observes, lips quirking up in amusement as the princess chuckles.

Jaskier has the feeling they know something he doesn't and since he's not ready to deal with whatever that is, he decides to start playing a song.

***

"Maybe you could ask them to stop following me around, princess," Jaskier says. It's late and Geralt hasn't come back yet and he needs to return home.

"I could," the girl concedes, looking back at him. "But I understand why Geralt did that; he's worried about you."

The bard doesn't like hearing that because it makes his heart jump inside his chest with joy and he doesn't want it to get hurt again. Geralt will most likely say something mean and he'll... actually he shouldn't care.

"I don't think it'll happen again..." Jaskier mumbles, trying not to think about the witcher. "Yen said a kikimora doesn't usually get out of the forest..."

"But this one got help and that person could very well do it again," the witcher growls, startling Jaskier. Cirilla and Mousesack must be used to his dramatic entrances because they don't look at all surprised by it.

"Magic?" Mousesack looks interested and worried at the same time.

"The place smells like magic," Geralt nods and then looks back at the bard. "Perhaps your sister can help Mousesack find the person who did this."

"She'll be more than happy," Jaskier mumbles. "Now... Could you please tell these men to stop following me?"

"If you stay in the castle," Geralt narrows his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest in a way that it's clear he won't change his mind about it.

Jaskier is about to start an argument, when Cirilla interrupts him before he could even begin.

"I think it's an excellent idea!" She smiles. "We could spend more time together!"

"I'll think about it," he mumbles, feeling defeated and a little bit irritated when he notices the triumphant grin on Geralt's face. "But I'll go back home when you find the person who did this..."

"Alright," the witcher agrees, with that glimmer in his eyes that makes him look even more attractive.

Jaskier shouldn't think about that; Geralt's company has affected him... He hasn't even slept with anyone since he officially met the witcher in that banquet.

Maybe he should... But he doesn't want to. He's not in the mood; it has nothing to do with the fact that he finds Geralt handsome.

It's alright, he's not the only one he finds handsome. It's not a big deal.

***

Despite of knowing Jaskier's guards won't leave him, Geralt insists on walking him home. The bard is not sure yet what he really wants, but he doesn't have the energy to find out right now.

"Well... Joke's on you because if I spend more time in the castle it means we'll see each other even more and that'll be a nightmare for you considering you don't like me at all," he blurts out; at this point he can't even say he's not trying to pick a fight.

At least that's something he can handle, he knows how to argue with Geralt and make him narrow his eyes.

Perhaps he finds it entertaining.

"I do like you, Jaskier," Geralt mumbles, ruining the bard's plan and prompting him to gasp, surprised. "I enjoy your company."

And with that he leaves Jaskier... Who, for the first time in a while, can't seem to be able to speak.

"Why are you grinning like an idiot?" Yennefer asks when she opens the door for him.

"I'm not," he refuses to admit Geralt's words make him happy because that'll mean–

_Oh no_.

***

"So... Are you going to help them find whoever did this?" Jaskier asks, trying to avoid thinking about Geralt and the fact that he might really like that witcher.

"Of course, I was going to do that on my own anyway," Yennefer admits, smirking at him. "Are you going to live in the castle now?"

"Just for a while..."

"Are you going to marry Geralt?"

Jaskier chokes on his drink, prompting his sister to burst into laughter. He narrows his eyes at her.

"No, I won't," he says, right before he sighs... defeated. "But... I think I'm attracted to him."

The sorceress rolls her eyes at him almost dramatically.

"Really? I didn't notice at all!" She whispers as sarcastically as possible.

"Shut up, Yen."

"Are you going to woo him?"

"No."

She quirks up one of her dark brows at him, making her look like she's really surprised.

"What's so different about him?"

Jaskier is feeling rather uncomfortable with the conversation; that's definitely something he doesn't want to talk about... He doesn't even want to admit that to himself.

"I'm not–He's..."

"You do care about him, don't you? Are you afraid of getting your heart broken?"

"I'm not going to woo him," he says instead, pretending he didn't hear those last words.

Yennefer narrows her eyes, but for the first time decides to leave him alone.


	6. Chapter 6

The first time Jaskier wakes up in his new chambers he gets startled and confused; that place is like half of the extension of his house... He looks around and through the window and remembers that he actually agreed to live in the castle.

He sighs and decides to take a bath and certainly not think about how his mother got so excited to hear he was moving out. Jaskier really wants to believe she was happy because of the implications (she's still very determined to see him getting married soon) and not only because she wasn't going to see him everyday.

Once he's clean, he takes a few of his clothes and decides it's time to explore the castle or at least find a place where he could eat something. He feels like he's starving.

"Jaskier," the bard gets startled (again) when he finds the witcher waiting for him outside. Maybe it's just a coincidence, he can't believe Geralt was really waiting all this time...

"Geralt," he mumbles in return. It's different now and he doesn't want it to be different between them. But now he has to deal with the fact that he's definitely attracted to Geralt.

It's not a big deal. He has been attracted to people before and has gotten over it in a matter of days...

It doesn't have to be different now.

"Are you hungry? I could take you to the Hall if you want," Geralt offers, more gentle than usual or perhaps it's just Jaskier's imagination.

"Yeah... sure."

At least the sight of food makes him forget about everything else and he quickly finds a table to sit at; he's never seen so many dishes together... Well, only when he goes to the banquets.

Geralt sits in front of him and the bard rolls his eyes; of course the witcher wouldn't trust him to keep himself alive even now that he's inside the castle. At least he doesn't have those guards following him around anymore.

When Cirilla rises from her chair at the main table and runs to sit next to them, Jaskier feels immediately more relaxed.

He dares to look in Queen Calanthe's direction and once he realizes she's not upset he looks back at the princess.

Geralt smiles at the girl and Jaskier thinks that maybe he could get used to that.

***

After the usual music session; Geralt starts acting weird. He looks nervous and is constantly looking anywhere but at Jaskier.

He crosses his arms over his chest and frowns at something on the floor until Jaskier decides it's better to walk away and Cirilla sighs and rolls her eyes.

But before he can get to the entrance, the witcher touches his shoulder, just a fleeting touch, to make him turn around.

"This the fang of the first kikimora I killed. It was my first monster," Geralt shoves the large tooth against Jaskier's palm and the bard's confusion is eclipsed by his excitement.

"Really?" He grins, feelings as the enthusiasm for adventures is coming back in waves. He could definitely write something about it. "Would you tell me the story?"

Geralt smiles at him; it's a huge and sincere gesture that makes Jaskier grin back from ear to ear. His heart is beating uncontrollably inside his chest.

He knows he must be careful, especially now after realizing he likes Geralt a little bit too much, but part of him doesn't really care about that, not at the moment at least.

"Yes," he says and sits on the couch next to him. Mousesack and Cirilla look at the two of them with curiosity and amusement.

It's almost time for dinner when the witcher finishes the story and Jaskier is hungry already. He rises from his seat and tries to hand the fang back to him.

Geralt shakes his head.

"This is yours now," he mumbles, almost desperately.

The bard tries not to show his confusion because by the way the witcher is staring at him it seems he's waiting for Jaskier to accept it.

"Thank you... I–I like it," he finally mumbles and for a moment he thinks he sees the glimpse of hope in those yellowish golden eyes.

"Hmm," he nods approvingly; he seems pretty much satisfied with Jaskier's reaction. "I'll have dinner with you."

Normally the bard would quirk up a brow at him for not even bothering to ask if Jaskier _would like_ to have dinner with him, but he's also not sure what exactly is going on so he decides not to say anything.

They sit at the same table and the bard notices this time Cirilla doesn't sit next to them but with her grandmother instead, although she looks particularly happy every time she glances in their direction.

Something's going on.

***

Jaskier is still in his chambers the next morning when Yennefer, Mousesack and Geralt are talking about the incident with the kikimora again.

He finds out because his sister pays him a visit and tells him about what happened.

"Have you started to court him yet?" She grins mischievously, prompting him to glare at her in response.

"No," he huffs. "I don't think it's a good idea."

Yen decides to stop teasing him just in time for someone to knock at the door.

Surprised, Jaskier gives the person permission to come inside just to realize it's Geralt.

Ignoring the fact that Yennefer is there watching and that she probably told the bard everything already, Geralt explains him the situation.

"I won't be there with Cirilla and you this afternoon," he mumbles almost like he's apologizing. Jaskier is even more confused now, but tries not to show it.

"And I suppose I can't go with you, huh?" He tries, knowing that Geralt will probably growl at him after that.

"It's dangerous," the witcher insists and before Jaskier can roll his eyes at him he adds: "However, I can take you to the woods any other day if that's what your heart desires."

"Really?" The bard doesn't pay too much attention to the way Geralt is looking at him, instead he tries to imagine himself there, getting the inspiration he needs for a new song.

When Geralt nods, Jaskier practically beams at him and the witcher grins back.

"Alright, then good luck tomorrow," he mumbles and then adds in a whisper: "Be careful."

It seems to be the right thing to say at the moment because Geralt keeps smiling and nods before walking away.

"What was that?" Yennefer demands as soon as they're alone again.

"What do you mean?"

"He's courting you."

Jaskier snorts to try to hide his blush; Geralt is not courting him... That'd be too good to be true.

"I know all about courtships and that's not at–"

"He's a witcher, they have a different way of courting," she rolls her eyes like she's trying to explain something very simple to a very stubborn kid.

Absentmindedly, Jaskier takes out the kikimora's fang from his pocket.

"You can't be serious... You don't know anything about this–"

"I do know. I bet he gave you that large tooth. It's from the first monster he killed, isn't it?"

"Oh... _fuck_."


	7. Chapter 7

Jaskier is _definitely not_ nervous at all or excited for that matter... He looks around and collapses over his bed, frowning at the ceiling while he tells himself he's the worst kind of liar.

The grin he was holding back finally starts quirking his lips up until he's smiling from ear to ear... Alright, he has dealt before with the fact that he's kind of in love with Geralt and assuming Yennefer is right about the witcher courting him means that at least he cares sincerely about him.

Now he has to wait until they all come back to deal with the most difficult part of it: talking. He needs to know they're on the same page about this and it's obvious Jaskier needs to learn a little bit about being courted by a witcher.

Then he's probably going to write a new song about Geralt, one in which he lets him know how much he likes him. It's clear that Geralt is not the most expressive or romantic partner (even though the kikimora's fang as a gift was absolutely sweet, at least in Jaskier's opinion) but the bard can be romantic enough for the both of them.

It's true, he's not used to commitment (the relationships he had were mostly just to warm up a bed) but he wants to make an effort this time.

He just hopes Geralt really wants something serious as well, even though he'd never admit Yennefer is right, she is: he doesn't want to have his heart broken.

Jaskier paces around the room for a couple of minutes until he decides to pay a visit to the princess; by the way Cirilla and Mousesack were exchanging looks when Geralt gave him the fang, it's pretty obvious they know much more than he does.

***

"I was expecting you earlier," Ciri chuckles, watching as Jaskier blinks for a couple of times before finally sitting on the chair next to hers.

"You know why I'm here, don't you?"

"You want to know about Geralt's courtship," she says like it's the most obvious thing in the world and it probably is, considering that she already knew about it.

"Exactly," he admits, feeling again more flustered than usual; he's never felt like that before, he's usually great at these kind of things... Well... when it's just about having to sleep with his partner and not having to talk with them again. "So... Is he–why is he doing this?"

Suddenly, he feels ridiculous talking to a kid about it, but the princess has become his friend really quickly, although she'd probably be more like a beloved niece to him.

"I'm glad you accepted my invitation to come to sing for me," she mumbles then. "I'm really happy and I sincerely love your music, but the reason why I invited you was because Geralt couldn't stop talking about you."

"Couldn't stop _talking_?" Jaskier quirks up a brow at her and they both burst into laughter.

"Alright," she concedes, chuckling. "He grumbled about you and your 'ability to get into all sorts of trouble' a couple of times... But trust me, coming from him it _means_ something. Even my grandmother knew what was going on... He really likes you, Jaskier. He cares about you."

Jaskier blushes and he can't quite stop it, but tries to look at the floor to distract himself.

"Now... I want to know if you're... serious about this. I like you, but I don't want you to break his heart."

So... This is really happening and this is serious. Jaskier likes the little girl even more then, just when he realizes how much she cares about Geralt.

"I'm... I truly like Geralt and plan to respond to his courtship," he mumbles and Ciri nods, satisfied with his answer.

He feels more confident after talking to her, although he still needs to speak to Geralt before he starts thinking about how to court him.

***

They're back at night; Jaskier is not in his room, nor is Ciri, despite of the couple of times the guards in the castle asked them nicely to get in their respective chambers.

The princess jumps at Geralt and hugs him tight and does the same with Mousesack, Jaskier on the other hand stands in front of Yennefer untill his sister rolls his eyes at him and he smiles, relieved.

"What happened?"

"Someone summoned the creature from inside the kingdom," she mumbles, frowning with worry. "They're probably in the village; we'll start looking for them in the next few days. I'm honestly glad you're staying here."

The witcher grins satisfied at him and it's time for Jaskier to roll his eyes.

"Don't encourage him, Yen..."

"Well..." She ignores him completely. "I think it's time for me to go back home."

"And you have to go back to your chambers, princess," Mousesack says and Cirilla nods, before throwing an amused look at Jaskier.

The bard and the witcher are finally alone.

Jaskier clears his throat.

"So... You're courting me," he blurts out, before he regrets it. He's not usually like this; the words normally come out so easily from his lips.

"Hmm," Geralt nods, finally turning around to look at him; he looks a little bit tense.

"What happens after? If the courtship ends... well?"

"We marry," the witcher says, there's no hesitation in his voice and Jaskier just stays there, frozen...

So this is serious.

"Unless you don't want to," he adds, after noticing Jaskier's expression. "In that case we should end this right here–"

"I want this," the bard says immediately, surprising both of them. He's not going to fool himself or anyone anymore.

Geralt nods, hope retuning to his yellowish eyes and then, a soft smile quirks up the corners of his lips.

Feeling his confidence coming back in waves, Jaskier takes a few steps forward, kisses the witcher on the cheek and watches with satisfaction as Geralt's face quickly turns completely red.

"Good night, Geralt," he grins as the witcher just nods, still blinking in surprise and Jaskier turns around to go back to his chambers.

He's never felt so excited or happy before.


	8. Chapter 8

Jaskier notices that Geralt is more quiet that morning; he's not usually a very talkative person, especially when he's eating, but the silence between them is awful that day.

He's not used to silence and he doesn't like being quiet so he decides to ask what's going on and put an end to that when the witcher clears his throat and starts rubbing the back of his neck.

The bard has spent enough time with him to know when he's nervous.

"Your sister and Mousesack are going to look for the person that summoned the monster today. They'll be in the village..." Geralt looks away and Jaskier notices that Cirilla is making irritated gestures at him.

He's getting more curious now.

"So?" Jaskier tries to encourage him to keep talking, now he's mostly certain this is about the courtship.

"I'll probably help them tomorrow in case they don't find anything today," he continues and then looks be up at the bard. "So I think we could go to the woods like you wanted... If that's alright?"

He can't even pretend like he's going to think about it, because the way his lips quirk up and he starts beaming at the witcher is obvious enough.

"I'd love to go."

***

Geralt is more confident when he's not the one talking, he likes to do things instead of talking about them and Jaskier has found out he doesn't mind at all to speak for the both of them.

He has brought with him a bottle of wine, cheese and bread and starts wondering, as he leans forward sitting on Roach with his hands around Geralt's waist, what it'd be to live on the road, having adventures with the witcher.

It's a peaceful morning in the forest; Geralt hasn't stopped the horse and Jaskier is not in a hurry to end up their little trip right now, he's not so hungry either so he can wait.

As a bard, Jaskier hasn't been able to venture into the woods by himself, so he hasn't seen everything the place has to offer. It's honestly beautiful; the way the birds start communicating with each other and singing and the way the sun touches every branch and leaf is amazing.

He looks around wondering if he could capture some of that beauty in one of his songs, he's so focused on it he doesn't quite notice when the horse stops.

But he gasps when he sees the waterfall; the way the water runs in between the rocks is almost gentle and he can hear the sound of it like a beautiful melody.

"We'll stay here for a while," Geralt finally says, waking him up from his daydream as he takes Jaskier by the waist and helps him get down.

"It's a beautiful place," the bard mumbles and by the way Geralt smiles back at him, he knows he wanted to show him that place only to make him happy.

"I was thinking of you last time I was here," the witcher admits and Jaskier almost melts on the spot; it's so different from when someone in a banquet compliments another to have sex with them because he knows Geralt is just being honest with him.

There's no ulterior motive in his words and that's why Jaskier almost blushes right then and there.

"Well... Let's open the wine."

***

Perhaps it's the wine or the fact that Geralt seems relaxed for the first time in his life or that he's grinning more than Jaskier has seen him since they met, but the witcher believes or pretends to believe what Jaskier starts babbling about flower crowns.

"Geralt, listen... It's absolutely necessary that I weave flowers into your hair... It's a tradition in my family when two people are courting," the bard insists, trying not to chuckle. It's obvious that it's not true, but Geralt allows him to put flowers on his hair anyway and Jaskier is too delighted about the idea to say anything else.

"You look cute."

"Hmm," the witcher narrows his eyes at him, but smiles again when Jaskier sits closer, hopeful.

"Now you have to do the same."

They end up with so different colors on their heads; Jaskier starts grinning and Geralt smiles in return until the bard leans closer to kiss him on the lips.

Before he can pull away, Jaskier feels Geralt's hands on his face, keeping him in place as the witcher kisses him back.

It's a very good kiss; one that makes Jaskier's toes curl and leaves him wanting more.

When they both need to breathe, Geralt pulls away, yellowish eyes staring into Jaskier's as he brings their foreheads together.

Jaskier suddenly hopes that the courtship ends well, because he actually wants to get married to the man in front of him.

It's a beautiful and terrifying thought.

When they go back to the village, everyone stares at the witcher with flowers on his hair, but Geralt doesn't seem to care.

Jaskier grins from ear to ear.

***

It's late in the evening; Geralt has received the information he needed from Mousesack which means Yennefer is not going to be in the castle that day.

Jaskier would have waited until the morning to tell her everything that happened, but he can't wait that long. He puts on a hood to cover himself and gets out of the castle.

His plan is to go back to his house, tell Yennefer about his day and return or perhaps sleep in his own room for that night.

The village is very quiet that evening; the sun is hiding completely and Jaskier wonders if it's because Yennefer and Mousesack have been walking in different houses and interrogating people.

"Sorry!" He almost walks into a man, an old man...

"It's alright, don't worry."

There's still enough light for the bard to see the face that's in front of him and even though Jaskier only has seen him a couple of times he recognizes him.

"Stregobor, what are you doing..." Even though Jaskier doesn't know about that kind of stuff, he's not an idiot and can see that the mage shouldn't be in Cintra at the moment. Yen hasn't mentioned (and he hates him) which means she doesn't know he's there.

Jaskier doesn't believe there's honestly a man or woman in the village that's capable of summoning a kikimora, at least not the people that have lived there for years.

But perhaps someone from another kingdom...

"I have to g-go back home," maybe he's an idiot after all because he can't even hide the fear from his face. By the way Stregobor is looking at him, he believes the man already knows what's going through his mind.

"You're not going anywhere, bard."


	9. Chapter 9

He's trapped. If this is the kind of adventure the universe has decided to come up with for him, Jaskier is not sure he'd like a life full of them.

He woke up a few minutes ago, his head is hurt and he's tied to a chair in a very dark and dusty room. The problem is that probably no one knows he decided to walk out of the castle and the mage will probably kill him really soon because he knows too much.

"Oh. You're awake," Stregobor smiles with all his teeth and Jaskier tries not to panic, but it's really difficult considering his current situation.

"What if you somehow erase my memory and let me go?" The bard says, looking around... He's almost sure they're still in the village, although he can't tell which area yet... All houses look almost the same from inside.

"I prefer to keep you for a while," the mage says. "At least that'll distract them for a couple of days while I try to get out of here without being noticed."

"So... You'll leave me here?" Jaskier asks, hopeful. It's ridiculous considering that man summoned a kikimora in the village and didn't care about the people.

"You know what I did."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Stregobor narrows his eyes; it looks like Jaskier is definitely irritating him now and considering the fact that the bard is still at his mercy, perhaps it's not a good idea to keep doing that.

The mage moves around the room; there's something in his eyes that makes Jaskier nervous and the bard becomes even more talkative when he's scared.

He can't help it.

"I still think my idea of erasing my memory is a good one," he blurts out. "And then you can go, knowing I'll never say anything about this."

"Killing you will also fix the problem of you saying something about me," Stregobor points out.

It's more than enough to make Jaskier shut up.

For a while.

***

The next time he wakes up he groans in pain; his body is tense and hurt for being in the same position for hours. He's thirsty and hungry and starts wondering if any of his friends is looking for him.

However, he gets distracted when he notices Stregobor mumbling strange words; he's making something with herbs and drawing on the floor.

There are a couple of symbols Jaskier doesn't know what they mean, but he's seen Yen study them a couple of times.

He knows it means nothing good.

At least the mage hasn't killed him yet.

"Oh, I bet you want to see what's going to happen next," Stregobor grins with all his teeth at him and Jaskier tries not to shiver.

"Actually, I still think my idea of erasing my memory is a good one," he says, trying to sound like he doesn't care at all about what's going on, but he's absolutely terrified.

"I think that won't be a problem anymore once I'm done with this," the mage says and finally, despite of the hunger and the tiredness he feels all over his body he gets an idea of what Stregobor is actually trying to do.

"You're trying to summon something else," Jaskier mumbles and regrets saying it immediately; he knows his words won't affect what's going to happen, but he wishes he hadn't said anything at all.

"Can you guess what?"

Jaskier doesn't want to; Yennefer has talked about that before, some of the things Stregobor is doing are hidden in his memory for some reason.

"It is forbidden! You cannot summon a demon!" Jaskier starts trembling at the realization. He tries to move, but his body hurts so bad and the rope is strong.

Or perhaps he's just really weak.

"You know I don't play by anyone's rules now."

There's not much information in his head about demons, except that they're dangerous and love pain.

"Please!" he cries out, even though he knows Stregobor won't listen to him.

***

Jaskier needs to get out somehow, although he's even more weak now and he has lost sensation in both his hands and feet.

Stregobor keeps mumbling things in an incomprehensible language and Jaskier is already thinking he's going to die.

He should've married Geralt sooner, he should've admitted that he liked him from the start. He should've at least slept with him once.

He misses Yen too.

"Yennefer..."

A portal opens in the middle of the room and before Stregobor or Jaskier can blink, the mage is thrown away from the desk he's working on and a very pissed Yennefer walks inside, followed by a furious witcher.

Before Stregobor can use his own magic, Geralt knocks him out using the back of his sword. Then he kneels next to Jaskier and starts cutting the rope around him.

Finally, he can move, although he feels like his body is not entirely cooperating with him at the moment.

"Are you alright?"

"I'll survive," Jaskier tries to smile, but he's too weak for that; Geralt takes him in his arms and growls in the mage's direction.

Tissaia walks in the room as well and stops right next to Yennefer.

"Remember that none of you can kill him," she warns. "No matter how much you want to. He needs to have a trial first."

Then, she starts talking only to Yennefer; Jaskier can't hear what they're saying but it doesn't matter anyway because Geralt kisses him on his forehead.

"Why do you always run into dangerous situations?" He mumbles, a little bit irritated.

"I don't know... Perhaps destiny just wants you to save me every single time," the bard grins, noticing the fond look on Geralt's eyes.

"I prefer to keep you safe," he argues and Jaskier pulls him closer to shut him up with a kiss on the lips because after all he's not too weak to kiss his future husband.


	10. Chapter 10

Jaskier doesn't make fun of Geralt for following him everywhere the next couple of days, but Ciri can't help but chuckle at the sight.

He honestly had no idea how much the witcher cared about him; now that Geralt is constantly trapping him in his arms and kissing him on the lips in a way that makes Jaskier's toes curl, the bard regrets being so difficult when they first met.

Although his witcher didn't make that any easier either.

Stregobor is going to be imprisoned, even though neither Yennefer or Geralt are pleased with the decision.

"At least you should give me a couple of minutes with him," the witcher insists, promoting Tissaia to roll her eyes at him.

"You cannot kill him," she says. "I'm not risking it."

"Who says I'm going to?" Geralt tries not to growl, but Jaskier can see the irritation in his eyes. He pulls the bard even closer to him. "Could be an accident..."

Knowing Geralt is angry because of what Stregobor did to him, Jaskier looks at him with a fond smile on his face and leans to kiss him on the lips.

"So what's next? I mean... About the courtship..."

"I want to marry you," Geralt mumbles sincerely, almost shyly and Jaskier knows (even though he has no idea how witcher courtship works) that he's ignoring a few steps of the whole process on purpose.

Trying to hold back a few tears, Jaskier nods and Ciri runs into both their arms, making them remember they weren't actually alone.

Jaskier chuckles happily embracing the two of them, before pressing his lips against Geralt's cheek.

***

Jaskier's mother is over the moon, Ciri is busy planning everything and the bard feels like he's about to panic because it looks like the princess is preparing the castle for a royal wedding.

Some days Jaskier wants to go to Geralt, look at him directly in the eyes and ask him if that's what he really wants, but then he notices him glancing at Jaskier like the bard is the most precious thing in the world and he relaxes again.

Because Jaskier (according to his mother at least) has never cared about decorum, he moves in Geralt's chamber and sleeps with him for the first time a few days after he's been rescued.

It's so weird, but the witcher hasn't changed his mind about marrying him; he looks nervous, but still as determined as the first time he asked Jaskier to marry him.

Geralt gives him a dagger; its hilt is blue and Jaskier doesn't realize it's the same color of his eyes until the princess points it out.

"Promise to be careful with this... I don't want you to hurt yourself," the witcher says and even though he's a little bit worried, Jaskier notices the way he grins amusedly when the bard glares at him.

Jaskier sings; he wrote a song about him, but this time it's not just about the witcher's adventures, but about him, about how Jaskier sees Geralt and what it means to him to have him in his life.

When he stops singing, Geralt is staring at him, completely quiet; Jaskier blushes and is about to ask if the witcher liked it or not when Geralt takes him in his arms and starts kissing him.

Jaskier wakes up curled up against the witcher and feels fascinated by the smile he sees on his face. Geralt's eyes are glimmering with happiness.

"I love you too."

The bard melts.

***

The Queen herself marries them; Jaskier is wearing a flower crown and light blue clothes and Geralt his finest witcher clothes.

He's wearing a flower crown too because he thought it'd please Jaskier and the bard can't stop grinning every time he looks directly at him.

They take each other's hands as Calanthe declares they're officially married and Ciri cheers when Geralt kisses Jaskier on the lips.

"We're going to go tomorrow," Geralt tells him during the banquet and watches as Jaskier's expression turns into a pleased surprise. "To have our own adventures, so you can write songs about them."

Jaskier intertwines their fingers together and grins as a couple of tears escape from his eyes, but his smile vanishes as fast as it appeared.

He looks worried at Ciri who rolls her eyes at him; it's like she knows what he's going to say next.

"But what about princess Cirilla? You're supposed to pro–"

"I had no idea you had so little faith in me, little brother," Yen crosses her arms over her chest, and leans closer to Ciri. "I'm going to take care of her until you two go back. And I'm sure I'll do a better job than your witcher."

Geralt narrows his eyes, but it's obvious he's not really mad at her. Jaskier on the other hand looks right at Yennefer and mouths a sincere 'thank you'.

Jaskier heart is warm and fuzzy when they start their journey the next morning.

Geralt kisses him on the forehead before helping him jump over Roach.

Jaskier pulls the lute closer to his chest and smiles from ear to ear as his witcher embraces him.

The sky is clear that day.

***

Thanks for reading! <3

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on tumblr ---> https://silverynight.tumblr.com/


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